Add all ingredients to ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake for 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with either a small evergreen branch or a piece of candied ginger. *Making simple syrup with unprocessed sugar gives a rounder sweetness to simple syrup. In airtight container, mix 1c sugar and 2c water. Shake every twenty minutes or so until completely dissolved.

Brew tea and allow to steep for ten minutes as you would a regular cup of tea. Do not add milk or sugar. Chill in fridge until ready to use. (Cocktail by Gwen Sutherland Kaiser, Photo by Mary Claire Miraldi)